good morning. gridlock. three days after sandy getting in and out of new york city a nightmare. long lines at gas stations across the region as the death toll from the storm rises to at least 74 people. and new images show its fury in connecticut and new jersey today,thursday, november 1st, 2012. and good morning.

welcome to "today" on this thursday morning. i'm savannah gurthrie. >> and i'm matt lauer. the storm recovery is already beginning, but already mounting frustration among people over how long it's going to take. and i guess that's understandable. >> yeah, and it's going to take a while. that much is clear. not just here in the city, but across the northeast region. as we mentioned, gas has become a hot commodity, especially in storm-damaged parts of new jersey and long island. the traffic problems around new york city are so bad now, governor andrew cuomo has declared a transportation emergency. couple of new regulations in place, for example, a minimum passenger mandate is in effect for cars that try to get on the island of manhattan. you have to have three people in your vehicle to be allowed on the island. officials hope that and the limited subway and mass transit service that resumes this morning, that's good news will help with the situation. taking all that into consideration, organizers have decided to go ahead with sunday's new york city marathon. a lot of people shaking their heads over this decision.

is it the right call? we'll ask the head of the group that organizes that event. let's start with natalie morales, just across the hudson river in hoboken, new jersey. officials there say it's going to take several days to pump flood waters out. natalie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, matt. well, actually just as the flood waters have been starting to recede here, matt. you see right here behind me, we have a new concern there's now a water main break here in the southwest part of town. there's still about a foot of water in some areas. i'm not going to walk out as far as i can because the police are not encouraging us to do so. in fact, keeping a close watch. as i mentioned, this town already so deeply ravaged by this storm. more than 500 million gallons of water flooded these streets, about 20,000 residents were cut off, completely stranded in their homes. the national guard had to come in and evacuate them and take them to shelters. half of those residents as i understand, still in their homes, still stranded, the mayor

is still calling for help. this is one of many communities torn apart by sandy's cruel path. >> a grim new reality as the power of sandy's catastrophic punch continues to swell. >> it's beyond belief. it's really catastrophic. from as far north and south as you can go, there's houses ripped off their foundations, torn apart. >> reporter: new chilling images of neighborhoods utterly decimated, resembling war zones with homes crushed like crumbling match sticks. >> i got nothing left. memories and everything else, everything's ruined. ruined. >> reporter: the winds may be long gone, but the flooding isn't. here in hoboken, some 20,000 people trapped, many cold and hungry as the national guard arrived to rescue and replenish. >> one thing we truly need, we need more fuel. >> reporter: precious belongings have been washed away like memories. at the flood-ravaged jersey shore, president obama came to meet with new jersey's governor

wednesday and personally assessed the damage. >> we are here for you. and we will not forget, we will follow up to make sure that you get all the help that you need until you've rebuilt. >> reporter: at shore communities, the beach now buries homes and businesses. sand plowed from the streets like snow in a blizzard. >> you couldn't see anything. because the sand was so intense. >> in new york city, a dramatic division. >> there's no light, no power, no nothing. >> reporter: a huge chunk of downtown manhattan struggling without power. >> it's sort of like the city has been in some ways cut in half around 40th or 42nd street. >> reporter: schools remain shut, but much of the city is finally coming to life. mayor bloomberg helped reopen the stock exchange thanks to generator power. limited subway service resumes today, but mass transit is a disaster. many have to get around either on foot or on wheels. the gridlock is now extreme and car pooling is a must. >> from 6:00 a.m. till midnight,

if you're coming into manhattan on one of those bridges, you have to have three people in the car. >> reporter: fresh images from above breezy point, new york, show the fire destroyed more than 100 homes. and for monday, the roaring inferno that ripped through several shore front mansions in greenwich, connecticut. a stark reminder of sandy's vast reach. across the northeast, millions are still without power. in suburban neighborhoods, many enduring long lines for gas to power their generators. at gas stations that are open, it's sometimes taking hours just to fill up. there are looting concerns too, like in staten island. >> they say what are you doing in that house? get out. you don't belong in here. >> reporter: families up and down the coast are still reeling from sandy's strike. while coming to terms with a tough new reality and a very long road back. >> everything is gone. but we've still got each other.

>> and savannah, back here in hoboken, as you can see, we're dealing with a little bit of water. but this is good news considering what this area looked like even just yesterday as the national guard trucks were rescuing people from their homes. the mayor, again, is calling people to help with donations. they need food, supply, resources here, blankets, things to keep people warm. a lot of people, still, are stranded in their homes and this is going to be a community that is going to remain probably in the dark for many days to come. and we are actually -- i have friends and neighbors who do have power, the lucky few, and i know here the new normal seems to be as in many communities about neighbors helping neighbors. those who have seem to be willing to share and are opening up their doors and welcoming people in. savannah? >> natalie, thank you. you mentioned, natalie, some of the destruction along new jersey's coastline. nbc's michelle franzen in seaside heights, one of the cities most harshly affected by

sandy's wrath. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. the recovery for the beach side communities is a tough one. just getting started and it's going to be a long haul for these heartbroken residents who have watched generations of memories wash away. >> reporter: finally rescued from her seaside heights home after riding out hurricane sandy, bobbi got her three dogs, stepped off a national guard truck wednesday happy to be on the mainland and toms river. >> all of a sudden it was up to here. it was a very sudden thing. i don't think anybody over there was prepared for it. >> reporter: and no one was prepared to see the aftermath. streets and homes once flooded now covered in debris or destroyed. >> it's still hard to believe. you feel you're going to wake up any minute. it's sickening, saddening. >> reporter: the beach community most recently put on the map by

mtv's "jersey shore" was virtually wiped out by hurricane sandy. the town's biggest attraction, the boardwalk and amusement rides including the iconic roller coaster now propped in the atlantic ocean after sandy ripped away the boardwalk underneath it. >> you look out here now and you see all this devastation in an area where you guys have lived. >> it is. that's all it is is devastation. there's no other word for it. >> reporter: captain joseph mitchell and rescue crews have spent these past few days going door-to-door and helping stranded residents like c.j. and his friend's dog willie get out. just north along the jersey shore, dozens of homes and the entire landscape has been violently altered by the force of mother nature. for residents like melissa griffith who witnessed sandy's wrath, it was a life-altering

experience. >> i was born and raised on the beach. this is all i know. and i survived this one. and everyone says it's worse than '62, i survived. >> reporter: and even with all this destruction and for as many people that stayed behind, officials tell us along this stretch of jersey shore, amazingly, not any major injuries or fatalities. matt? >> michelle, thank you very much. president obama is set to return to the campaign trail following his tour of the destruction in new jersey. and with the election just five days away, new polls show the president and governor romney are locked in tight races in several battleground states. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent. chuck, good morning. >> good morning, matt. well, look, the president has set his final schedule for the next five days. and in four of the next five days, he will stop off in the state of ohio. his final rally will be in des moines, iowa, where he'll be joined by the first lady.

>> reporter: fresh off his visit to the storm-ravaged new jersey shore, president obama returns to the campaign trail today. on wednesday, the president's focus, though, was all sandy. spending four hours surveying hurricane damage with new jersey's republican governor chris christie. with less than a week to go until the election, the two leaders were an unlikely combination. practically inseparable, comforting victims in shelters and on the storm-ravaged streets. later at a press conference, the president and governor, the gop's convention keynote speaker earlier this year went out of their way to praise each other's leadership. >> i cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and compassion for our state and for the people of our state. >> i just want to thank him for his extraordinary leadership and partnership. >> reporter: for the president, the new jersey trip was also a chance to show his empathetic side as he comforted the owner of a marina destroyed by the storm. >> how long have you had the marina? >> since '96. >> nothing like this never happened? >> never.

>> reporter: mitt romney spent his wednesday full-time on the trail in florida trying to balance campaigning and showing sensitivity for the storm victims. >> keep folks in your thoughts and prayers. it's a big part of what america is. when there are challenges, we come together and help one another and that help is needed now. >> reporter: and while romney didn't shy away from criticizing the president's record, he did not mention mr. obama by name. >> we should not continue on the same path, but it's time to take a new path, bold aggressive change. >> reporter: meanwhile, paul ryan and his wife jana spent halloween in their hometown in wisconsin taking their kids trick-or-treating. a maris poll shows a tightening in key states, the president still holds leads in three of them. in iowa, president obama maintains a six-point lead over mitt romney, down from eight two weeks ago. in wisconsin, romney has cut the president's lead in half, he now trails by three points. and in new hampshire, it's basically a dead heat. the president at 49%, romney

with 47%. the granite state will be mitt romney's final stop before election day. >> reporter: the schedule tells you everything, the president four times in ohio. he'll be multiple times in wisconsin and iowa these last four days. only one stop each in florida and new hampshire and nevada, matt. >> chuck todd at the white house, let me remind our viewers, election night coverage will come to you from democracy plaza here at rockefeller center. it will be open to the public starting tomorrow. >> we want to return to the gridlock that's being caused by the storm. nbc's kerry sanders is above yonkers right now. >> it is truly a test of patience as we take you down over yonkers here. you can see the line backed up. what you're looking at here are check points to make sure that those driving into the city -- that's the henry hudson parkway, are actually following the rules. those rules are, three people per car. well, as you know, there are

some people who think they can skirt by. so they're doing the check points and they're exiting some of those cars off the road. you can see how it's backed up. add to this the cascading effect that people are low on fuel because the gas stations are not all operational. gas stations this morning have more than a mile long wait to get up to get fuel. so folks who are trying to get in are sitting here burning fuel wondering if i'm going to have to go to a gas station, am i going to have to then wait to get fuel when, unfortunately, we've already seen one gas station today run out of gasoline as people are in line. when you add this all up, you can see the huge frustration just to commute. there's cars being turned away. likely that person did not have three people in the car as required, savannah. >> all right, kerry, never an easy commute into manhattan, slower today and i'm sure the check point doesn't make things

move any quicker either. tamron hall is over at the news desk while natalie's over in hoboken. good morning to you. good morning, everyone. new criminal charges today in the fallout from the child sex abuse scandal at penn state university. nbc's national investigative correspondent michael isikoff has more for us. >> reporter: one year after jerry sandusky was arrested and charged with sexually molesting young boys, pennsylvania attorney general linda kelly is today set to announce what is being described as a major new development in the case. sources tell nbc news that prosecutors are preparing to charge graham spanier with perjury and obstruction to cover up the allegations against sandusky. in addition, they have prepared new charges against two other former school officials who have already been indicted, athletic director tim curley and gary schultz. these charges are based in part

on e-mails uncovered in a report last summer by former fbi director. prosecutors will contend that the e-mails show that they agreed not to report a 2001 allegation that sandusky sexually abused a young boy in the penn state shower room. the ex-officials have all vehemently denied the charges and he said he was only told sandusky was quote, horsing around with the boy. one of his lawyers said last night they are preparing to make their own statement later today. >> thank you very much. more than 1,000 residents near louisville, kentucky, are waiting to return to their homes after authorities say workers accidentally sparked a chemical fire at the site of a train derailment. at least three workers suffered serious burns. residents outside the evacuation zone have been warned to stay indoors. a pair of suspected smugglers along our border with mexico might get an "a" for creativity. look at this, suv got stuck on atop a 14-foot fence.

they apparently tried to use homemade ramps to get their vehicle over the border when they were spotted on the mexican side trying to free their vehicle, they left the vehicle and they escaped on foot. you do not see that every day for a reason. it is now 7:16, back to matt, savannah, and al. >> i hate to see when wylie coyote goes bad. >> back from your travels, al roker -- >> must have felt good to put a suit on. >> it did. and our crews and producers did unbelievable work. shawn reese drove 2,200 miles over the last few days. we have had quite the adventure, and unfortunately, our friends who we left behind there along the jersey shore, our thoughts and prayers with them. there's the remnants of sandy spinning around and it's lake enhanced rain, so we're seeing some heavier showers now through western new york. winds still kind of gusty.

look, anywhere from 20 to 27-mile-per-hour winds back through grand rapids, pittsburgh on into atlantic city, boston, and syracuse, it's going to stay gusty through this afternoon and on into this evening. >> good morning, chilly weather following the aftermath of hurricane sandy, 54 degrees will be a high temperature today and it is still busy -- breezy that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very mu. even as new york city struggles to recover from sandy, it's going ahead with one of the biggest events every year. mayor michael bloomberg says the new york city marathon will take place this sunday as scheduled.

but not everyone is onboard with that decision. mary wittenberg is the ceo and president of the group that organizes the marathon. good morning. nice to see you. >> good morning, matt. >> were you in agreement with this decision? >> once the mayor said let's go forward. we're here to support the city, ready to do whatever we can. >> if he said to you, mary, do you think it's a good idea? would you have had said yes or no? >> i would say, what come sunday would be the best for new yorkers. and when he said the best thing is to go, the answer is to do everything we can to support the city and help it get back on its feet. and we're going to take advantage of the opportunity to really help elevate the relief efforts and help people come together in the city. >> he's the one that made the call. and i don't mean to put you on the hot seat. i'm a fan of the marathon. i like it. but i have not seen one person here in our informal survey that thinks this is the right idea. you have 600,000 people without power in the city. the subways are only operating on a limited basis, there are

streets that are closed, no power downtown, there's gridlock. the governor declared a transportation emergency, and we saw that picture a second ago of the traffic, people waiting to get into new york city. add to that 47,000 runners, 8,000 volunteers, some 2 million spectators, why is it a good idea? >> well, i think first, matt, our hearts go out to everybody impacted by the storm. it's been really tough here. and the marathon is a day that's all about the triumph of the human spirit and the idea is that come sunday to really help bring new yorkers back together. >> could we have delayed it, though? until the city's a little bit more on its feet after struggling through this week? >> we'd be prepared to go forward however the city thinks best or not go forward. but we respond and get prepared for what we're asked to do. and, again, the idea is come sunday to bring the city together and help the world unite to really support this relief effort. >> we've got airports running at

far less than capacity. can you get the runners in? do you think the runners coming from across the country and by the way, around the world, i think some 20,000 of them come from other countries, can they get here? can they get around the city once they get here? will they have places to stay? >> and what we're hearing is that the flights have been rebooked, people are coming, people want to be here and support. we hear a lot of support of people saying, i want to help new york, i want to help get back on its feet. i want to be there, i want to support local businesses that have been out of business for a while. so far we're hearing people are coming and, you know, on sunday, i think what's really important too, is we have modified all plans. first of all, we canceled most every event except for sunday morning, opening ceremonies friday night canceled, a saturday morning race for 8,000 to 10,000 canceled. so the focus of sunday morning also in terms of transportation, we've gone entirely to a transportation system. all buses, no public transportation. and so that's the idea is to be

here. our job is to respond to what the city needs and asked us to do. and to do so without draining any of the resources that are really rightly focused on the recovery. >> do you expect some of the money raised for charity to go to the relief efforts? >> yes, we're going to use this platform to say here's how you can help. donate to red cross, help americans get back on their feet. and we're on national television and global television, that'll be the chance to help new york and the entire area move forward and rebound. >> hopefully monday morning people will have a different opinion of this decision, at least some of them. good luck with the race on sunday. >> thanks so much. it's 21 after the hour. still ahead, savannah meets up with the team faced with the daunting task of draining new york's flooded tunnels. and our widespread power outages like we've seen with sandy now the new normal in big storms. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

it's oysternomics 101. you start with a u.s. senator named ben. by helping restore thousands of acres of oyster beds, he kept hundreds of oystermen on the job... which keeps wholesalers in business... and that means more delivery companies... making deliveries to more restaurants... which hire more workers. and that means more oystermen. it's like he's out here with us. he's my friend, ben.

i hope he's your friend, too. i'm ben cardin, and i approved this message. gridlock from sandy not only on the roads, but airports, as well. >> see you after your local news. [ male announcer ] sponges take your mark. [ female announcer ] one drop of ultra dawn has twice the everyday grease cleaning ingredients of one drop of the leading non-concentrated brand... to clean 2x more greasy dishes. dawn does more. so it's not a chore.

yeah it's a... it's threemendous. ♪ threemendous. ♪ threemendous. [ male announcer ] say hello to mcdonald's new... [ basketball announcer ] threemendous! [ male announcer ] cbo. smooth cheddar, crispy bacon, grilled onions on the angus third pounder or premium chicken sandwiches. cbo... the simple joy of... threemendous. yeeeah. wears off. [ female announcer ] stop searching and start repairing. eucerin professional repair moisturizes while actually repairing very dry skin. the end of trial and error has arrived. try a free sample at eucerinus.com. [ male announcer ] when you're sick, seems everyone and their brother has a home remedy to try. but walgreens knows that you need advice from an expert. that's why our pharmacists are trained to know just what you should take for your symptoms. they're here and ready to help before you try anything... too crazy.

now walgreens pharmacists welcome express scripts members. you may stop by today for the service you trust. at the corner of happy and healthy. >> this is wbal tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. the time is 7:26. a mother who police say help her son and another teen cover of a deadly shooting is now in police custody. the 49-year-old turned herself in wednesday morning on charges connected to the death of a 13- year-old. she helped the boys hide the body under trash bags in a nearby alley after the teen was shot to death inside an east baltimore home back in march. she is being held on $500,000

bond. let's get a check on our morning commute. >> very heavy out there in certain spots like the west side and southbound to 95 at 100. there is an accident and west of friendship. watch for delays there. northbound force small wood is closed and that is due to an accident, and an oil spill with that. old south road at solomons island road as an accident wrapping up. baltimore street and north clinton street as a crash. not bad on the harrisburg expressway and harry -- heavier toward padonia and the beltway. >> the weather is not a big issue today but there are a couple of sprinkles showing up on the radar. you see that along the j.f. fax.

x. temperatures are mainly in the 50's in of light showers south of sykesville. it will mainly be dry today but it is chilly out there with temperatures only in the mid- 50's this afternoon and cloudy skies and the winds will make it colder. mid 50's through the next couple of days but feels cold than that and the clock turned back on sunday and monday there is a chance o

7:30 now on a thursday morning. november 1st, 2012. we're looking at some of the scenes of people trying to commute into new york city. doesn't look too bad right there. but there have been major traffic backups. new system in effect. you've got to have three people in your car to even be allowed on manhattan island. we're going to have more on that and struggles of this area just ahead. i'm matt lauer alongside savannah gurthrie in studio 1-a. one of the crippling effects of the storm, the flooding of new york city's underground tunnels. well, coming up, we'll introduce you to the unwatering crews. yes, that's what they are called. and they are hard at work now to pump out hundreds of thousands

maybe even millions of gallons of water. we have an announcement to make. tomorrow night on the networks of nbc universal, we'll be broadcasting a special concert to benefit victims of the storm. it's called hurricane sandy coming together. we have some great performers lined up including bruce springsteen and the e street band, billy joel, jon bon jovi and more. >> all hosted by matt, 8:00 tomorrow night on the networks of nbc universal, all commercial-free and benefits the red cross. and now we want to talk about more what we were discussing, the unwatering teams, of course. most of sandy's flood waters have flooded the streets, but it's the water beneath that's presented the biggest challenge. on wednesday, i met the team leader of the engineers tasked with getting all that water out. sandy's winds and rains may be

long gone, but one thing is here to stay. all that water. >> the army corps of engineers is sending us their best national team. they call it the national unwatering team. i didn't know there was such a name for a team. >> neither did we, but i got the chance to meet the head of the so-called unwatering team of the army corps of engineers. >> well, first of all, some people can't believe that you are known as the unwatering team. is that the term you would use? >> it was a term handed to us, savannah, in 2005 the district i worked for was asked to go into new orleans and unwater the city of new orleans after hurricane katrina. >> many others have been dispatched from illinois to share what they learned from katrina several years ago. >> reporter: how much water do we need to pump out? >> our estimates at this point in time are 300 to 400 million gallons of water. and it's growing.

>> reporter: and even though there's not as much overall as there was in new orleans, he says the job in new york is much more difficult. >> it's not the amount of water that's the problem, it's where it is. >> it's where it is, yeah. >> and where it is is underground in miles and miles of subway and road tunnels. >> some of those tunnels are up to 2 miles long. and the only points into them is at each end. and that requires us to have some pumping capabilities that perhaps reach 1/2 mile to a mile long. >> another problem, the age of the tunnels. new york's subway system is over 100 years old. >> some places we could probably pump out quicker, but we don't want to collapse the tunnel. >> the next challenge, where to pump all that water. >> largely mostly sea water. right now we're working on, it'll get pumped right back out to where it came from. it'll go back to the rivers and harbors. if we run into any bad contamination as a part of that, we'll deal with it as it comes up. >> and one other project

particularly meaningful to new yorkers, they are working to unwater the world trade center site. >> it must make you feel good to know that you can do something to help. >> it doesn't make us feel good to come to these, savannah, because we don't look forward to disasters, we don't want them to happen, but if they do happen, we want to be here to help. >> once up and running, it'll be a 24-hour a day project and he estimates they'll be able to pump out all that water in a matter of days. >> hopefully that comes true. >> we hope. thank you very much. this is the third straight day for no electricity for millions of americans impacted by this storm. in fact, it's the third storm in just a year that seems to have crippled the northeast power system. nbc's harry smith takes a closer look at that story for "rock center with brian williams." >> good morning, guys. first it was hurricane irene, then last october's freak snowstorm, and now sandy. mother nature has put an unprecedented strain on the power grid and some experts are wondering if climate change is to blame.

the images from across the eastern third of the nation are still a little difficult to comprehend. but for millions of americans, they are all too real. lines down, nerves frayed, power out. monday night, new york city was on edge, and con-ed the city's electrical supplier was gearing up for the worst. the man at the center of the storm, senior vice president. >> they are forecasted somewhere between 11 to 12 feet peak, and that would be the highest tide the city has ever seen. >> reporter: by 8:00, he had decided he had no choice but to shut down power to lower manhattan. high water was about to inundate underground power supplies. so high, it caused an explosion at a con-ed substation. today, people like the schmidt family have to take the stairs, 13 flights to get to their apartment. >> i was in my daughter's

bedroom and just staring out at the building across the street in great envy watching the lights there. >> reporter: 8.5 million households and businesses lost power in 19 states, and today, over 6 million are still waiting for the lights to go back on. sandy's relentless wind, rain, and storm surge laid the power grid to ruin. and there is a growing consensus that this is all part of a new normal. >> anyone who says there's not a dramatic change in weather patterns i think is denying reality. >> many climate scientists say there is a reason this is happening. >> we're seeing more and more extreme weather events. leading to greater and greater economic damages. and i'm very suspicious that climate change is an important player for many of these. >> reporter: whatever the reason, these storms put the power grid at risk. and for the time being, massive power outages are an inevitable reality. >> in your view, not science,

just your gut, are we living in a time unlike times of the past? >> the simple answer is absolutely. i've never seen anything like this. i mean, we're having an annual storm of the century. it is just crazy. >> i spoke with an official at the electric powers research institute. he said building a power grid that could withstand these kinds of storms is just not economically feasible. so how best to deal with these changes remains to be seen. >> go back to those numbers for a second. he predicted a surge of 11 1/2 feet. >> which would have been the highest ever, it was closer to 14. and there's a piece in the paper trying to figure out is it climate change what's going on? the temperature in the western atlantic, 5 degrees above normal for the end of october. there's something going on. >> harry smith. and by the way, harry's going to have more on a special "rock center with brian williams" tonight 10:00/9:00 central right here on nbc.

let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> thanks a lot, matt. a show of hands, who has been stuck in new york? where are you from? >> spokane, washington. >> when were you supposed to go home? >> monday. >> when are you getting home? >> supposed to be tomorrow. >> how about you guys? >> from los angeles, supposed to go home on monday but i'm not leaving until friday. >> you're booked? >> yes, i'm booked. >> good luck. >> and you're here for the marathon. >> we're here for the marathon. >> where did you come from? >> minneapolis. >> when did you get in here? >> just yesterday, but i ran the washington marathon sunday. >> so you just ran up here? >> well -- >> all right, thanks so much. let's see what we've got for you weather wise. it's chilly here in the northeast. we've got a trough here in the east and out west a big ridge. so it's a tale of two countries temperature wise. look at those temperatures here in the northeast where folks don't have power, don't have heat, it's going to be a rough night tonight and a day tomorrow. temperatures in the upper 50s, mid-50s to upper 40s where it's

anywhere from 5 to 15 degrees below normal. out west where we could use this warmth, phoenix, 89, 87, dallas, denver, 74, ten to 20 degrees >> you can see a little bit of rotation across the northeast and that is producing showers all the way down into western maryland. and these days you want to make sure you check that weather, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com. up next, how to avoid insurance and charity scams in the wake of sandy.

it's right after this. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ i got it made, i got it made ♪ ♪ i got it made fresh at subway ♪ ♪ breakfast made the way i say ♪ [ male announcer ] at subway, you got it made. try a steak, egg white & cheese, tricked out any way you want. subway. eat fresh. the latest thing to wear with beautiful tops. beautiful underarms. wear with toga tops, yoga tops, and va va voom tops! doo sleeveless makes underarms soft and smooth in just five days.

effective protection. beautiful result. in just five days. ho w do in just five days. edelicious hershey's chocolate with 30% less fat? new hershey's simple pleasures chocolate. 30% less fat, 100% delicious. you don't disappear at midnight. and now, you've met your match. revlon colorstay 16 hour eyeshadow. 64 colors that will take you from night to day without smudging, creasing or fading away. to make just about anything delicious. introducing new jif chocolate flavored hazelnut spread. whatever you put it on... reaches a whole new level of deliciousness. choosy moms choose jif.

with no added sugar, just one glass equals two servings of fruit. very fruit-tritious. or, try ocean spray light 50, with just 50 calories, a full serving of fruit and no added sugar. with tasty flavors like cranberry-pomegranate and cranberry- concord grape, it's like a fruit stand in every bottle. just...you know... demonstrating how we blend the fruits. try all our tasty ocean spray

100% and light 50 juices. back now with more of the wrath of sandy. with damage estimates topping out at $20 billion. and homeowners desperate to get started on repairs, there are sure to be scammers coming out of the woodwork, unfortunately. jean salvatore is here with sharon epperson. just at the moment, people need the most help sometimes there are con men out there. if you're looking for a contractor, what's your first piece of advice, jean? how do you know if you're running into a scam artist? >> well, the first thing, if anybody asks for money up front, don't give it to them.

that's generally a scam. you do not have to give anybody any money. and don't sign anything. that contract might not be in your best interest. >> what if they're trying to rush you? >> actually, that's a sign this might not be kosher. basically, you don't want to sign anything or give anybody any money. instead, you simply want to take business cards, take names, and then you can check them out. and what you want to do is check their licenses, check references, you want to ask if they have an insurance certificate. you want to vet them carefully. >> what's legit to ask for in terms of up front money? >> right now, you should not be giving money to anybody to start work. you just simply want to collect information. >> so many people must be finding themselves in a position where they've got to find a contractor and don't know where to start. can they call their insurance company and get a list of contractors? >> first thing, what people should be doing now is letting

their insurance company know that they have damage. start the claims process. use your insurance company as a resource. they've gone through this many times, they know what to look for, they can help you with the whole process. so really use your insurance company as a resource. >> and sharon, you say also watch out for subcontractors. you want to make sure whatever dollar figure represents all the work. >> exactly. when you do pay the contractor, make sure everyone they've employed is paid, as well. you could be liable if they're not paid. you want to make sure that whole process goes through smoothly. >> the fema application scam, what's that? >> well, there may be some people who say i can do the fema application for you, pay me a fee, i'll fill out all the paperwork for you. you do not need to do that, you can contact fema directly, and that's what you should do. >> a bogus charity scam. >> that's a huge one. looking at the devastation, you want to help in some way, but be very careful the charity you're

donating to is legitimate. check the irs website, make sure it's something that actually is going to help the victims. and that e-mail, whether you're getting social media, sometimes getting these unsolicited pleas for help, that is a sign it may not be a legitimate -- >> this is surprising, you say identity theft tends to go up in these times? >> well, spam, a lot of spam is happening. fishing scams and all of those types of scams can come up. so a lot of people are saying look carefully at the e-mails you're getting. don't just open it because, again, pulling on the heart strings, be careful. >> bottom line, with the contractors, check their licenses. thank you so much. >> sure. still ahead, the situation at airports three days after the storm. is it getting any better? but first, these messages. that loves to have fun ♪ ♪ it's got something for everyone ♪ ♪ the car of the future many have said ♪ ♪ 'cause at the pump it's miles ahead ♪ ♪ let's hum, hum, hum, hum

♪ let's hum ♪ a prius for everyone ♪ the perfect match, electric and gas ♪ ♪ mile after mile its tank could last ♪ ♪ we made three more for all to use ♪ ♪ big, small, and plug in, it's yours to choose ♪ ♪ and let's hum, hum, hum, hum, let's hum ♪ ♪ a prius for everyone well, inside the brewer, there's a giant staircase. and the room is filled with all these different kinds of coffee. actually, i just press this button. brew what you love, simply. keurig. and that feeling you get from your favorite pair. jcp's denim bar makes the perfect fit easy. the levi's you'll always reach for. at low prices, every day. ♪ get it on

by the way they clean themselves in the bathroom. try charmin ultra strong. with a new duraclean texture, it helps you get clean. plus it's four times stronger than the leading value brand. and you can use up to four times less. charmin ultra strong. google voice response: earth has a mass of five point nine... ♪sleep on needles by sondre lerche

we are back now with another kind of a look at sandy. this is time lapse footage from the 51st floor of the "new york

times" building. and it takes you through the process of sandy arriving. look, you can see the clouds, the daylight, and here's where the storm starts to get intense. and now watch what happens. >> the "new york times" put this on its website. al, you've covered a lot of these storms. how do you compare? >> i never have -- in prepping for this, i had to raid my blizzard bag and my hurricane bag. >> wow. >> because i knew -- normally we're standing around in shorts and crocs while covering this. i was in three layers. but for the people who lived through this and are now living with it, the devastation is just unimaginable. >> you were there by a hotel, right? but it got battered. >> the folks at the white sands hotel who were really sweet to us. we could not have done our coverage without them. but they had a beach side of their hotel. and then across the street, their spa and stuff. and we were there, and i was there that night when the dune

breached. and we had to gather and run like heck. >> do you think we'll stop using the term 100-year storm or storm of the century since we're seeing these? >> i think this is in a sense, the new normal. >> we're going to get to kerry sanders above breezy point, queens, which is one of the hardest hit areas. hey, kerry. >> reporter: let me take you outside and look down here. and what we're looking at here is sort of a combination of that incredible storm surge that came in and rearranged the geography here. such a wall of water built up by this tremendous arrival of sandy. but at the same time, an additional complication here. some of the communities that were preparing for the storm along the coast actually cut electricity off. but here they left the electricity on. and it's still uncertain what caused this fire. but as you see right in there, about 80 homes that were caught on fire because the fire ignited

one and then it began to spread. and of course in the middle of the storm, there was no way to fight that fire. some people decided to ride this storm out in their homes and then had to deal with the fire and were able to evacuate. one of the things that's interested today versus yesterday is that we see some more standing water that has made its way into this community. so while the waters are receding, we still have these high tides, unusually high tides, and you can see some of that water there that has arrived and is now a little deeper today than it was yesterday, guys. >> just give people perspective. breezy point is on a peninsula, the southern end of the peninsula that's across the bay from kennedy airport. and you look across the same section of that bay and you have the manhattan skyline in the distance lower manhattan. so it's a long way to get to by car, it's not that far from where we are right now. >> exactly. >> we're going to have a lot more on the travel delays caused by the storm, but first, check of the local news and weather. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso.

i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. with less chronic osteoarthritis pain.

imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbaa.lt

dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. go to cymbalta.com nature knows all about baking. just mix together a few simple ingredients... and "voila". so for truvia baking blend, we mix sweetness from the stevia leaf with sugar, for a blend that bakes and browns like sugar, with 75% fewer calories per serving.

>> this is wbal tv 11 news today and baltimore. >> it is 7:56 in time for a check on your morning commute to. >> still very busy out there. starting in westminster, route 91, we have an accident being cleared and we are dealing with one at old step bridge road. we are looking at some length) northbound on four small at clover hill road to an accident and an oil spill. baltimore street and north clinton street as an accident and delays on southbound 95

approaching white march down to the 895 split. southbound 83, the disabled vehicles off to the side but still there are some delays. 795 at owings mills is easing up a bit but we have had the west side delays. >> we are watching a few light rain showers across the metro radar. some of those are north and east of the downtown area. you may have to tap your windshield wipers a couple of times. more rain showers are south of us and more coming in from the west through howard county. 42 is the current temperature in columbia and 46 at the airport. highs in the mid-50's today which is chilly when you factor

in the wind, gusting up to 20 miles per hour. i would dress for the 40's the next couple of days because you will feel the winds into saturday and by

♪ 8:00 now on this thursday morning. it's the first day of november 2012. a beautiful morning here in new york. we are listening to the sounds of aerosmith. they have sold more than 150 million albums worldwide. they're members of the rock 'n' roll hall of fame. there is one thing they have never done as a band, and that is perform live on morning television. but that is all about to change tomorrow morning right here on our plaza. it will be hallow rock 'n' roll ground. >> when you look at them, you don't think morning people. >> no. >> but they're going to get up for us tomorrow morning, it's going to be a great show.

and coming up, just to get ready for that concert, we're going to take a look at their rise to the top. five decades of making music and hits and we'll have that story for you in just a little while. >> they started when they were 10. well, we have another legend in the house this morning. no, it is not meredith vieira, it's her dog jasper. jasper is famous because meredith is always bringing him in, bragging about him. but turns out, there's another side to jasper, and richard her husband is here to tell us about it. >> look at meredith's face. >> i want you to know how richard really feels about this dog. the book is called "i want to kill the dog." we'll find out what is at the heart of this division at home. >> you've got to take a side. are you pro jasper or antijasper? >> and that family is split right down the middle. >> certainly is. >> i don't want to -- it depends on who i'm talking to which side

i take. and then we've got jenna bush-hager, she's got a terrific story. when the worst happens in the new york area, it brings out the best in people. and jenna's going to share that with us in a little bit. all right. let's start this half hour over in hoboken, new jersey, and join natalie morales who happens to live there and has the story about how people are struggling with flood waters. natalie? >> reporter: good morning to you, matt. and as you see here, the flood waters have receded substantially. i was flying in a chopper yesterday over this area. there was about 2 to 3 feet of water here still, but it's come down quite a bit. i'd say about 6 to 8 inches or so. unfortunately, a little bit of a concern here with a water main break on this corner. just as these waters were starting to recede and finally drain, there is added water there, which they certainly don't need in this town. 500 million gallons of water flooded this mile square city if you can imagine during hurricane

sandy. the famous pizza place was flooded, the storm surge from the hudson from the west end of town. and as you can see here, it came up to about 4 feet or so. residents had to be evacuated by the national guard yesterday. they had to call them to get them in to get them out of here because they'd been stranded, some for days without food, supplies, water. everything is starting to run out in this town. they've also been cut off with communication. in fact, my neighbors say they feel like they don't know what's going on with the news in the world right now. and people who took their best precautions against the storm surge, sandbagging, even setting up these concrete bricks, if you look below at the basement level apartment to give you an idea of what they will be dealing with here for many, many days to come is excess water. and all of these sublevel apartments, ground floor apartments. but still, this is one community that really considers themselves fairly lucky because there was

no loss of life. but they need supplies, blankets, food, anything to help people get through the next couple of days until the power comes back on and life goes back to somewhat normal. savannah? >> all right, natalie, thank you. well, the nation's air travel is slowly bouncing back from sandy as carriers deal with a backlog of canceled flights. nbc's tom costello at laguardia airport in new york. reopening this morning for the first time since the storm. tom, good morning to you. >> savannah, good morning. look at this. we have activity here at laguardia. we've got people getting out of their cars with their bags and headed toward the terminal. and they're going to get out today. laguardia opened this morning at 7:00 a.m. with two runways operational. but as you know, it has been a mess here today and it's going to be -- it's been a mess over the last few days. and today it's going to be slow going. you'll recall that we had flooded runways, water right up to the jet bridges here at laguardia. and so they had a big cleanup operation. the airlines have to fly planes in before they can fly planes

out of here. so like i said, it's going to be slow going. jfk and newark airports, they opened yesterday, but again, with limited service. today those airports remain open and operational and hopefully they'll get up to speed a little bit more today, as well. and as they all ramp up their service, passengers are strongly urged to check with their airlines to find out if, in fact, their plane is leaving today and on time. one big problem across the new york city area has been simply getting the employees to the airport because many employees have been stuck. so that's an ongoing problem. other airports along the east coast have been opening up. washington, of course, baltimore, philadelphia, boston. the number of canceled flights yesterday, about 2,900. most of those new york flights. today, we got about 600. somewhere between 570 and 600 flights canceled today, that brings to about 21,000 now. the total number of flights canceled since just before sandy and through this storm.

amtrak update for you now. amtrak says it will provide modified northeast regional service between boston and new haven today and between newark and points south starting today. i want to give you an update on the subway system, as well, here. there is some subway activity north of 34th street, but below 34th street, almost nothing. and that has been a real problem for folks in new york city. all of this having a big impact on travel. if you're driving into manhattan today, the mayor has ordered you cannot be in a car with fewer than three people. i've already received e-mails and tweets and texts from friends who are trying to drive into manhattan. they say it is a mess. yet again today over the george washington bridge, here's why mass transit, of course, has been compromised. and with that, we've had massive gridlock throughout the entire city and, of course, you've heard we've had a shortage of gas in the city. all of that causing big problems in the metro area. new jersey as we said, cars line up for miles at gas stations and

at times blocking the highways. last night as i drove in from washington, i saw a line two miles long to get into a gas station off the freeway. i want to show you the gridlock yesterday in new york city. this is why the mayor ordered that we have to start car pooling here. no fewer than three people, again, but it has been wall-to-wall people. so many people know new york and know about the bridges and tunnels. even if you're outside of new york, let me give you a sense of what's going on. the george washington bridge, the outer bridge crossing are all open. however -- and the lincoln tunnel is open, the holland tunnel, though, remains closed. savannah, back to you. >> bottom line, long road to recovery, tom, thank you very much. we want to head over to tamron now for the morning's other top stories. good morning. >> good morning, again, savannah. good morning, everyone. polls show that mitt romney has cut president obama's lead in two key states iowa and wisconsin. president obama returns to the

campaign trail today in wisconsin, nevada, as well as colorado. he toured hurricane damage in new jersey wednesday winning the praise of that state's republican governor. mitt romney campaigns today in virginia where the race is still neck and neck. in the meantime, in an audiotape released by a liberal advocacy group, a republican congressional candidate in washington state says he would oppose abortion in cases of rape or incest because it doesn't make the situation better by, quote, putting more violence in a woman's body. also uses the phrase, quote, the rape thing twice in the recording. officials say four people were wounded by gunfire last night outside a halloween party at the university of southern california. two people were detained. campus police say the shooting resulted from a dispute between nonstudents. the drug company is recalling all of its products after federal inspectors say the firm must improve its sterility testing process.

ameridose is the sister company to the massachusetts pharmacy whose drugs have been implicated in a deadly meningitis outbreak. and now for a look at what's trending today on a quick round-up of what has you talking online. npr has apologized to this 4-year-old colorado girl who was apparently pushed over the line by one of the election bulletins. >> i'm tired -- i'm tired of barack obama and mitt romney. >> that's why you're crying? >> oh, it'll be over soon, abbey. >> yes, abby, just five days left. hang in there, beautiful. hang in there. this video of a homemade father/daughter halloween costume has gone viral. dressed as a power loader from the 1986 movie "aliens." he said he would've had to take off the entire contraption if his daughter had needed a diaper change. and the internet loves this,

cheeky halloween costume worn by ellen degeneres. >> hola, my name is sofia vagara. >> of course, the real sofia had to point out the most outrageous feature the spoof of the dress she wore to the emmies last month. it's now 8:10, back to al with a check of the weather. i think that's one of the best costumes so far. >> why would ellen ruin that for me? why would she do that? ellen! only kidding. we love ellen. let's see what we've got as far as your weather's concerned for today. looking at our pick city montgomery, alabama, wsfa, sunny, mild, 72 degrees. we've got still some wet weather in the pacific northwest as a

system coming onshore. that's going to affect parts of the northern plains and upstate new york by the weekend and on into the early part of next week. we also have remnants of sandy up along the new york canadian border bringing some wet weather through western new york and pennsylvania. beautiful weather from the southwest into texas. gorgeous day down through the southeast. a little cooler than usual. >> good morning, chilly weather following the aftermath of hurricane sandy, 54 degrees will be a high temperature today and it is still busy -- breezy

>> okay. we've got -- >> not on my shoe. >> we've got dinner tonight. >> nice. when we come back, how the storm has brought out the best in some people. not him, apparently. and also, why meredith vieira's husband richard is not a fan of their dog jasper. we'll get to that after these messages. take dayquil... [ ding! ] ...and spend time on the slopes. take alka-seltzer plus cold & cough... [ buzz! ] ...and spend time on the chair. for non-drowsy 6-symptom cold & flu relief. take dayquil. use nyquil... [ ding! ] ...and get longer nighttime cough relief. use alka-seltzer plus night cold & flu... [ coughs ] [ buzz! ] [ screams ] ...and you could find yourself... honey? ...on the couch. nyquil. 50% longer cough relief. [ woman ] too weak. wears off. been there. tried that.

ladybug body milk? no thanks. [ female announcer ] stop searching and start repairing. eucerin professional repair moisturizes while actually repairing very dry skin. it's so powerful you can skip a day... but light enough you won't want to. dermatologist recommended eucerin. the end of trial and error has arrived. try a free sample at eucerinus.com.

donuts? ♪ [ chuckles ] ♪ you're cute. ♪ [ door creaks, closes ] [ female announcer ] the protein effect. new special k protein cereal. with ten grams of protein and three grams of fiber... finally, a protein cereal to help keep you fuller longer. willpower. what will you gain when you lose? how does it brew such great coffee? well, inside the brewer are these green fields of coffee, actually, i just press this button. brew what you love, simply. keurig.

back now at 8:15 with a familiar face when meredith left the "today" show last year, she said she wanted to spend more time with her husband richard. but if you ask him, meredith's focusing most of her attention on another family member, their dog jasper. >> well, i hear the word jasper, every muscle in my body tightens, my jaw clenches, and i almost back away because i expect a hideous shriek to follow.

and i rest my case. >> i think he's doing it from a good place. i think he's doing it because he's a protector. >> i think jasper is just narcissistic and doing that to hear himself bark. >> i don't think that richard really has ever really taken to jasper the way one would hope. and also maybe there's a little jealousy. >> i'm not jealous of the dog because i don't think i want to be the dog. i find it mind boggling that anybody can be as affectionate and pay as much attention to it as meredith. >> obviously i'm attracted to a type. richard's all bark and no bite. and this one's more bark than bite. >> jasper is very possessive. and really thinks he owns meredith. >> i don't think the dog thinks in those terms. i think the dog sees me as his best friend. >> if i approach the bed, he goes crazy and he goes for my neck. >> i don't think he's ever broken his skin. >> i can't get into my own bed because the dog won't let me do

it. >> i think it's when richard lunges, you know. like one of those quick, in for a quick kiss. the dog doesn't know if it's a kiss, he has no idea. >> meredith is a very stubborn person. she would never admit that the dog's a pain. >> look at him now. have you heard one bark? >> i hear jasper and it -- i find it piercing. it goes through me, and i look at meredith and it's like she didn't hear a thing. i never figured out whether it's total denial. >> perfect animal. perfect. okay. so now there's a little moment of -- good boy. jasper -- jasper.

>> this is a way of life around here. >> meredith, richard and jasper are with us now. richard is the author of the new book called "i want to kill the dog." i had forgotten just how dysfunctional you two were. you know, when you left, it was a weight being lifted. and now i'm reminded of what goes on in the household. >> may i point out that the dog's quiet? >> sitting next to some yapping -- >> oh, thanks a lot. that just set me up. that's just great. how did the book come about? >> you know, where i was beginning work on a much more serious book, another book about chronic illness. and the dog started barking and i was talking to my agent and i said i'd really rather write a book about how i would kill the dog. now, i would never kill a dog. >> let's get that out. there's a lot of animal lovers out there who are going to say

that's a horrible title for a book. >> i would never hurt an animal, but if a meteor landed on his head -- >> it would not upset you. >> no fingerprints. >> do you think it's possible you are a little blind to jasper and some of the dog's more irritating habits? because i have to say, the dog did spend a lot of time around here, and i know -- >> excuse me, what are -- the dog has a barking problem. but i have long felt that it's not the dog that has the problem, it's we as trainers and being -- we didn't do good enough job training the dog. and i take responsibility for that. >> here's what richard writes in the book. and these are comments about you. my wife is a happy puppy prisoner and unreconstructed animal apologist. miss "m" -- >> how do you plead?

>> basically guilty and proud of it. i love animals and like i say, bugs in the house, i free them. that sort of thing. i don't like to harm things. >> isn't there a limit to what we can do for this dog on this show? i remember back -- i mean, first of all, you dragged him out here on your last day of the show as your security blanket. >> i didn't drag him. >> we gave the dog iq tests, genetic tests, weeks of dog training by expert trainers, jasper even got a photo shoot as a result of the show. what more can we do for this dog? >> i think the dog's -- excuse me, the dog speaks for himself. he's perfectly well-behaved. perhaps he's a little bit off. >> richard writes some things about you in the book that are nice. okay, mrs. doolittle. he says she is a fabulous mom, a real friend and a great journalist. and i will tell you that's more in keeping with the guy i know who says these things. because he's an awfully sweet man. has this created some friction in the house?

real friction other than come sell the book friction? >> no. >> not really. >> she tunes me out. you know? >> ear plugs? >> no. in one ear, out the other ear. she just doesn't hear me. and you should hear jasper when the doorbell rings. i mean -- >> nobody in america believes a word what you're saying. >> submarines in the indian ocean are picking this up. >> you mentioned you've written other books, was this a nice break, richard, all kidding aside? >> yeah, it was. it was a really nice break. i've written a lot about my m.s., other people's chronic illnesses, and, you know, meredith and i both use humor as a coping mechanism, i think. it's something we have shared with our kids who have really adapted too. and it's really what helps get you through the day. and i had a fabulous time writing this book.

>> and just in case there are people out there who still think you are two of the most uncaring people by writing this book -- >> me? i have nothing to do with it. >> there's a portion of this -- >> the proceeds will go to the aspca. yeah. there's a hot line set up with the humane society to help people given what happened with the hurricane to relocate their pets and also there are a lot of animals out there that need a home. and i'd gladly take several more, wouldn't you think? >> again, the book is called "i want to kill the dog." >> he doesn't. >> he's kidding. >> meredith and richard and jasper. the best behaved jasper has ever been here on the show. just ahead, how halloween was celebrated here and elsewhere. but first, these messages. [ male announcer ] on one corner, one pharmacist started it all: charles walgreen had a mission to help people be happy and healthy. from inventing the first chocolate malt... to creating a nonprofit pharmacy for our troops...

to the first child safety caps. walgreens has been innovating for over a hundred years. and we're just getting started. with more and more ways to be well every day. here at the corner of happy and healthy. with no added sugar, just one glass equals two servings of fruit. very fruit-tritious. or, try ocean spray light 50, with just 50 calories, a full serving of fruit and no added sugar. with tasty flavors like cranberry-pomegranate and cranberry- concord grape, it's like a fruit stand in every bottle. just...you know... demonstrating how we blend the fruits. try all our tasty ocean spray 100% and light 50 juices. hershey's drops. a lot of hershey's happiness in little drops of milk chocolate. and cookies n creme. pure hershey's.

the latest thing to wear with beautiful tops. beautiful underarms. wear with toga tops, yoga tops, and va va voom tops! dove go sleeveless makes underarms soft and smooth in just five days. effective protection. beautiful result. [ male announcer ] tim and richard smucker have always loved the taste of just-picked fruit. so it's no wonder why today smucker's makes the world's best jam. found ya! you always find me. you always hide here. [ male announcer ] with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. a 90% smaller needle. announcing fluzone intradermal vaccine, a 90% smaller needle, wow that's...short.

to learn more talk to your health care provider. [ female announcer ] fluzone intradermal vaccine is fda approved for 18-64 year olds. it shouldn't be given to anyone with a severe allergic reaction to any vaccine component including eggs, egg products or a prior dose of influenza vaccine. tell your doctor if you've ever had guillian-barré syndrome. redness, firmness, swelling and itching at the injection site occur more frequently than with fluzone vaccine. other common side effects include pain, head ache, fatigue and muscle aches. if you have other symptoms or problems following vaccination call your doctor immediately. vaccination may not protect everyone. 90% shorter please. i have a callback on monday. [ female announcer ] visit fluzone.com or these locations to find fluzone intradermal vaccine. tiny needle, big protection. ♪ still ahead, how aerosmith went from a small band to the rock 'n' roll hall of fame as we get you ready for tomorrow's live concert. >> after your local news.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> still kind of busy. we started route 97 just south of hope road. crash being worked on another one at devon shire drive. inner loop delays from 795 to the j.f.x. outer loop is heavy on the west side. northbound 895 prior to the harbor tunnel toll plaza, watch for delays due to the disabled vehicle. very heavy on southbound 95

beginning at mountain road all the way towards the 895 split. a 13 miles per hour on average on the west side. we will switch over to a live view of the west side, where we are tracking delays at security. these stretch from reisterstown road to edmondson. over to you, ava. >> couple of light showers that people are dealing with on the roads. 95 towards edgewood, more like showers from b.w.i. to pasadena. overall, temperatures are in the 40's right now outside the downtown area. downtown is currently at 50 degrees. high temperatures only in the mid-fifties. when you factor in this winds from the west, i could feel colder than that. the couple sprinkles possible today. overall, the week looks pretty dry.

breezy for the next few days. by sunday, we turn the clock spec for the morning hours. >> back with another update at 8:56.

we're back now at 8:30 on a thursday morning. it's the first day of november 2012. and we're one day away from a huge outdoor concert on our plaza. tomorrow morning, 8:30 half hour, it's all aerosmith all the time. it is their first ever morning show appearance, and we're gearing up. we're looking forward to it. if you're in the area, come on down on your way to work.

it's going to be a lot of fun. matt lauer along with savannah gurthrie, al roker, and tamron hall. and coming up, a look at how aerosmith became one of the biggest bands in the world. and then speaking of music, we want to remind everybody, we've got a live benefit concert tomorrow night on nbc. a lot of great -- >> it's hurricane sandy, people coming together. billy joel, sting, christina aguilera all performing, we're raising money for the victims of the storm. all the proceeds will go to the american red cross. it is tomorrow night 8:00 on the networks of nbc universal. >> and you're hosting it. >> i am hosting tomorrow. >> that's very cool. and then if you went out trick-or-treating in the northeast, you know it had a bit of a different feeling. i took my son out. we're going to take a look at that. and we also want to show you how

the rich and famous in hollywood celebrated. some of the creative costumes, some of your favorite stars wore. and obviously, still thousands of people without power. we're going to take a look at how to whip up a meal with canned goods. maybe not this time around, but you can stock your pantry in case of emergencies and do it the right way. there you have it. >> i haven't used one of those in a while. >> because the power's out, you can't use the electric one. >> mr. roker, how about a check of the weather? >> we'll show you what we've got starting with today. tomorrow i should say looking ahead to the weekend. we're going to look at beautiful weather through the southern 2/3 of the country. snow showers and rain showers up to the northern plains, showers in northern new england. look ahead toward saturday. we've got some showers in northern new england, the ohio river valley, rain in the pacific northwest, sunny and mild through the plains into the gulf coast, and then sunday, sunday, we expect more rain down through the lower mississippi river valley, sunny and cold through the great lakes into the

mid-atlantic states warm through the southwest, snow showers hanging around in the northern >> you can see a little bit of rotation across the northeast and that is producing showers all the way down into western maryland. don't forget, any time you need that weather, especially these days, you go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. >> weather channel doing great work these days. coming up, we'll look at aerosmith's rise to rock royalty as we get ready for that big concert on our plaza tomorrow. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:35. as we gear up for tomorrow's big concert on the plaza from rock legend aerosmith. >> they first got together back in 1970. well, 42 years later, the band is riding a new wave of popularity as they get set to release music from another dimension. it's their first album of all new material in over a decade. four decades ago, with soaring vocals and a signature shriek, aerosmith and front man steven tyler introduced themselves to the world of rock music. >> aerosmith is unquestionably one of the greatest rock bands to come out of america of all time.

>> with all-time rock classics like "walk this way," "dude looks like a lady" and "sweet emotion," they have remained at the forefront of rock with the simplest formula. >> they have amazing songs. so many moments for so many different walks of people, so many different generations. >> but for years, aerosmith wasn't only synonymous with classic rock, it meant drugs, partying, and bitter infighting. >> we did have our ups and downs, and there were a lot of hard times and a lot of times we knew we'd come back. so, you know, it was -- it's been a very rocky road. >> tyler wrote about the feuding in his memoir and was candid with me when i spoke with him last year. >> wrote a book about lsd. and this is not the drug. lsd is? >> lead singer disorder. >> right. and you had it, right? >> well, i think we all do as

lead singers, right? we front the band. >> yeah. >> therefore, why don't they listen to us? we know everything. >> big ego. >> yeah, of course. >> tough to work with. >> yep. >> made trouble when you could have made peace? >> yep. >> as they rock into their fifth decade, the tough times for aerosmith have all been worth it with a place in the rock 'n' roll hall of fame platinum records in every decade since the '70s. and now a 15th studio album. it's clear they have no intention of slowing down. we are looking forward to having them tomorrow morning our 8:30 half hour. just some practical information. obviously because of the wake of sandy, it's difficult to get into new york city. if you're in the surrounding area and you're planning on trying to come in, leave early, make sure you have three people in your car, you've got to do that, mass transit is sketchy and spotty, so leave early, get here, we would love to welcome you for that concert. >> absolutely. anybody have a special request? do you think they'll take

requests? probably not. i'm requesting "dream on." and we'll see what happens. one of my favorites. it'll be a good show no matter what. but if you are trying to come down, leave yourself plenty of time and be careful. halloween, the celebration was a bit muted here in the northeast as al mentioned a while ago, but families still found time to trick-or-treat. >> improvising there. these are some of the pictures we got sent in on twitter. people enjoying some of the trick-or-treating that was going up on different parts of manhattan, downtown is a mess, but up town, people were able to get around. you got out, didn't you? >> in fact, i think there were more trick-or-treaters this year. we went through four bags of candy and that was just me. just me. >> set him up, right? >> thank you. no surprise really, here's miguel almaguer with that story. >> reporter: when it comes to halloween, you do it like

hollywood. among the decked out masses taking over los angeles streets, pop sensation rihanna last night crowned the queen of west hollywood. even daytime talk had a new look. >> hola, my name is sofia. >> this year, ellen was sofia with her trademark colombian accent. >> my dress was not like that. >> yes, it was like that. >> teen celebs dressing up like other celebs was a popular theme. p. diddy tapped his inner prince, and matthew morrison played homage to justin timberlake and britney spears. emma roberts dressed the part of her famous aunt, pretty woman julia roberts. and derek wibbly did go there,

all done up like ex-wife averil lavigne. >> there are parties all over town and all over the country. celebrities aren't shy about it. they're going to show it off, instagram, tweet about it. >> reporter: hollywood stars went too. ryan seacrest and juliana hough, bonny and clyde. this year she flaunted her shrinking waistline. and kim and kanye made a splash as a mermaid and sailor. >> in hollywood, picking a pumpkin can be an experience. here at mr. bones pumpkin patch, you're as likely to find celebrity and paparazzi as you are costumes. jessica alba brought her kids here in search of the perfect pumpkin. a halloween to remember with so many costumes that will be hard to forget. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles.

>> cute, right? >> any favorites there? >> no. just ahead, a recipe that even savannah can do. how to turn canned goods into a meal. you've done that. >> not very nice.

♪ back now at 8:44 with "today's" kitchen easy as one two three. and this morning, a meal cooked from canned goods for the times you can't or don't want to get to the grocery store. usually when we do homemade we don't necessarily do canned goods, but in trying times. >> yeah. >> are these items you should have in your pantry? >> totally. canned goods, the reason why they're great and people tell you to stock up on them is because they have a long shelf life. if you keep them in a cool, dark

place, not on the refrigerator or something that's going to fluctuate in temperature, they can stay for about two to five years. and they're packed at the peak, vegetables and fruits. so the nutrients and vitamins are all still there. >> they kind of have a bad rep because of additives and stuff. have they gotten better over the years? >> they totally have gotten better. the reason they can stay safe on the shelf is not necessarily for additives and preservetives, it's the way they're canned. brought up to a certain temperature and when it's canned and lowers, the suction creates such a compound situation in there, there's not going to be any kind of bacteria or anything that will happen. >> it's a chemical thing. >> got ya. let's get to the recipe. >> this is my salmon. really easy to do with canned foods. right here i've got bacon fat. i've gotten in some canned pearl onions. >> great. >> a little bit of garlic. you brown it a bit and then you

start adding in your canned lima beans. it's all about corn and peas. >> okay. those are the must-have ingredients. >> i've got a can of peas, again packed at the peak. they maintain the nutrients, corn goes in, as well. little bit of salt and pepper, season it up. >> is that good? >> yeah. good to go. and this is great, it's also inexpensive, especially when you don't have a farmers market that has fresh vegetables and fruits. shop in your pantry. >> what do you add in there? >> a little bit of flour after this browns a little bit. you add this to the top, this will help you create a gravy. >> got ya. >> the glutens will react.

>> you got it. >> and using canned salmon, is that good? >> yeah. it's great. listen, i love canned salmon. it's excellent in this. you can also make salads out of it. if you don't have canned salmon, canned tuna is great in this recipe, as well. you want to look for pink salmon, king salmon, no skin, no bone. >> and you put it in at the last minute. >> at the very last minute, you add it in, add the bacon back in. give it a stir. and then it's going to look like this. >> and we've got about 30 seconds, tell us about the other dish you made here. this is a dessert. >> two cans of peach. this is my peach crisp. peaches, you put them into a dish along with a little butter, flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and top it with a brown topping which is oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, butter, and in about 30 minutes you've got dessert, straight from the can. >> this is my kind of meal, pour a bunch of stuff and stir. >> that's all you have to do. still ahead, "glamour"

magazine. but first this is "today" on nbc. it's oysternomics 101. you start with a u.s. senator named ben. by helping restore thousands of acres of oyster beds, he kept hundreds of oystermen on the job... which keeps wholesalers in business... and that means more delivery companies... making deliveries to more restaurants... which hire more workers. and that means more oystermen. it's like he's out here with us. he's my friend, ben. i hope he's your friend, too. i'm ben cardin, and i approved this message.

this is a chance to smile here for a second as we get back to 8:49. despite the destruction, sandy has brought out the best in a lot of people.

today jenna bush-hager has been seeing that firsthand. >> i have. and it's been great to see living in downtown manhattan myself, i spent the last couple of days without power. and i've noticed countless neighbors helping neighbors and communities coming together to weather the storm. >> reporter: in lower manhattan, part of the city that never sleeps is still in the dark. no power, no hot water, residents coming together to cope. >> it's amazing. witnessing the coming together. >> reporter: from a local grocer packing produce. >> it's about taking care of people. especially when they're most in need. >> reporter: -- to the restaurant owner who has been comforting owners with what else than food? you actually decided over the last couple of days to put out food. >> and we have all of this food here, we decided let's just cook it and we've been feeding the people working downtown, the neighbors, tourists, and anybody

who is walking by. >> reporter: across the river in hoboken, new jersey, 20,000 residents flooded, and almost 90% are still without power. people in the few blocks that were spared are doing what they can to help. >> we have power, running water, food. >> reporter: with just an e-mail, theresa howard mobilized her community. >> sent a notice to everybody saying how about we have a recharge your morning and everybody got onboard and people were pulling out their cables and power chargers and coffee pots. >> reporter: neighbors helping neighbors. >> and this neighborhood looks like really unscathed. looks like nothing happened. but just a couple blocks away. >> just a few blocks west and south, people are still stuck inside their homes, two different worlds right now. we're happy to do whatever we can to help. >> trick-or-treat. >> reporter: and for the kids of hoboken, even sandy's wrath couldn't postpone halloween. >> why are you looking forward to this halloween in particular?

>> because it's halloween. >> it is? >> raise your hand if you've been stuck inside. raise your hand if you were kind of scared when the storm came. was it a lot of wind? >> yes. >> yeah. >> was it loud? >> yeah. >> so is it nice to just have fun? >> yeah. >> just didn't want this halloween to be all about the hurricane. we want them to remember that it's halloween and still having fun. >> through the laughter of children and the generosity of neighbors, people coming together helping one another. >> people come together in bad times, they really do. and i think that's what's happening right now. >> and with school canceled for the next week, parents said halloween helped the kids have fun and move on. it was heartwarming to witness the communities coming together and chip in. i've also heard of groceries -- i actually got some food from whole foods in my neighborhood, which was really sweet and gyms

are giving out day passes to work out and for a hot shower, which is something a lot of people aren't getting in the city. really to see the best of new yorkers and new jersey, people, as well. >> it's a change in way of life for obvious reasons, i know you tweeted the other day you were reading books by candle light. >> she made fun of me. she's like, but you tweeted it. we did walk twice to get some service so we could call our parents and everything. but it's also, many people around the world live like this. so it's been kind of fun. although, my husband and i have had a lot of time to talk, which is great. which is great. which is great. >> fantastic. >> but it's been fun and we've been cooking with lights. and what parents are saying, it gives them time to talk with their kids. well, tonight's "rock center with brian williams" has natalie showing us what other new

yorkers are doing to help residents weather the storm. >> reporter: after sandy struck much of the lower part of manhattan was plunged into darkness. alex baldwin and his wife moved to a hotel to weather the storm. but soon returned to their apartment to help their neighbors. >> in the building we live in, which is a 12-story building with a penthouse in the village, they have a lot of elderly people. there's a real community of them with no elevator service. as you can see there's no power here in the east village anywhere. so in our building, you can assume that people who are elderly can't go up and down the stairs to go get meals or water any prescriptions or even if they can get to them, walk their dogs. so we've volunteered today to standby for a couple of hours to see if we can be of any help to them. we left to go to a hotel because we can't take our dogs up -- we don't want to take them up and

down the stairs 12 flights. >> i think new yorkers really do love each other. the moment something goes wrong, we fight for each other fiercely. >> you can see more on "rock center" which will devote the whole hour to the aftermath of sandy tonight 10:00/9:00 central time. >> first, we'll get an important check of your local weather, news, and see you in a couple of minutes.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. city police are investigating several shootings after a violent halloween night in baltimore. in southwest baltimore, officers responded to carriage court just before it o'clock 30 where they found a can of gunshot

wounds. the second gunshot

>> a little chilly on this thursday. a couple of the sprinkles as well. you may have to watch out for a few raindrops. we stay in the 50's the next couple of days.